Sonnegg Castle

The castle was first mentioned in 1267 in the urbarium of Rechberg Castle as "castrum Iounek". King Ottokar acquired it by exchange from Sophie, the founder of Studenitz Monastery.

Around 1296, a ministerial family of the Heunburgers and Pfannbergers, who called themselves von Sonnegg, was enfeoffed with the now princely castle. Heinrich and Hermann von Sonnegg appear in documents several times between 1296 and 1312. At that time, the castle came into the possession of Burkhard von Rabenstein as a pledge. In 1426, Parzival von Vanstorf-Rabenstein sold it to Duke Friedrich of Austria-Tyrol. In 1444, Sonnegg went as a princely fief to Hans Ungnad. At the same time, it was endowed with blood jurisdiction.

In 1522, the Ungnad family was elevated to the rank of baron. Its members were henceforth allowed to call themselves "Lords of Sonnegg". The Ungnad possessions of Sonnegg and Waldenstein were sold by Margareth Elisabeth, wife of the Landgrave of Hesse, to Johann Andrä Rosenberg in 1639. Sonnegg is still owned by the Orsini-Rosenberg family today.

In 1688, Sonnegg was still a well-preserved residence. Two years later, a severe earthquake occurred, followed by a large fire that destroyed the castle. Reconstruction was abandoned, and an estate located at the foot of the castle hill was developed into a new residence. The castle ruins were made available to the surrounding population as a quarry for building their houses, which led to their complete decay.